Step 5: Examples

You want to keep your noggin toasty in the nasty winter weather.
You don't want to wear a hat that looks like everyone else's hat.
You like lions (or dragons).

Now you can combine all of these desires into a simple, yet useful, item of clothing that's infintely customizable and tailorable to your (or a recipient's) tastes.

Disclaimer/apology: Since there's no limit to the variation on this theme, I've only provided the most basic directions. If you have specific questions on how I did certain things, I will be happy to try and explain it in a seperate instructable or through private correspondance.

Step 1: Preliminary measurements and layout

i.e. The lion hat needs a mane and a muzzle, in addition to eyes, nose and ears. I made the mane and muzzle from felt, since I did not wish to deal with unhemmed edges exposed on the outside of the hat.

Measure your head and add half-an-inch: this will be the length of your fleece. The height of the cloth will need to be 9-10 inches, for an adult.

Cut fleece.

Make ears, tails, spines, et cetera:
Sew your idea on to two pieces of fleece (or one piece folded in half), trim it, flip it inside out.
Place these items to the side.

The pattern is the 5-ends crown given in this instructible. Here is the pattern I drew for Yotsuba's bunches, you should cut it out 8times. It is 7.5cm high and 6.3cm wide.

I advise you now to pin a second layer of fleece down the hat where your forehead will be (where Yotsuba's bangs are). Go on and make the hat normally.

Pin 4 bunch pieces to the hat and adjust to make it symmetrical. When the positions are right, sew a small circle on the centre of each piece, then start sewing the second piece of each bunch on each first piece. Leave a little gap to put some filling, then resume sewing. Your bunches are ready.

Go back to the forehead and draw the bangs. Cut and sew the two pieces of fleece along the edge of the bangs. It should prevent the bangs from curling up too much. You don't have to make another seam than the bottom one.

I love this tutorial. I made a polar bear hat since I only had white fleece and black felt, handmade (I didn't have a sewing machine back then) and apart from the handmade sewing it was really easy.I did a small inside hem instead of a big one outside because I assumed the back seam would be visible on the back of the head with an outside hem. I also softened the pointy ends on the forehead by sewing a little longer and rounder down.I am planning on doing a jellyfish hat, a Yotsuba hair hat and a Cthulhu hat (although I am still thinking about how I will put the tentacles, I think in your design it is too obvious they have been added afterwards - sorry) and will definitely put pictures of them as well.Thanks a lot!

Great instructions! I used them to make a Gir hat (the robot dog from Invader Zim) for my best friend's ten year old daughter, and I had no troubles at all, despite my slightly wobbly stitching.

I chose to use a second colour of fleece to line the hat (mostly for aesthetic reasons, but also because it gets very cold here in Canada and the extra layer will be useful). I suggest to anyone who wants to attempt this, definitely sew the two pieces of fleece securely together before you try to do any of the shaping darts, or the pieces will flop all over the place and be a total pain.

I also used some leftover little scraps to "stuff" the eyes on this hat so that they'd stick out and look properly bulbousy. I think that this technique could be easily used to make noses, beaks, muzzles, ears, etc. that are more 3-dimensional: just sew most of the way around the piece, then pack it full of stuffing before you sew it completely closed.

This is totally cool but I want it to look like a mane on my head, not a head on my head. Can you cut it to go around the head more, incorporating the person's face into the design? Like this? (I hope this image add on works)

Slightly longer answer: since a mane is more than just what frames the face, you'd have to do a lot of finagling to get the rest of the hat covered in mane-pieces. Also, even the framing of the face is kind of impossible with this type of hat design without bisecting the entire hat. Even then, the mane would sit across the top of the head, not along the hairline/forehead.

I was thinking to use furry material instead of fleece. Then bring the material down to frame the face.

Not sure I understand parts of the drawings in step one. Last two pictures do not make sense. Are these other pieces that are cut? What does 5ths and 6ths mean? And I can't figure how the ears are done. I am a bit dyslexic so I need more input to get some ideas.

This is great! Would you happen to know how to make Headcrab legs or Metroid Claw thingies or Cthulhu tentacles...I have plans to make it far far FAR less cute than it should be....anyone with answers will get creds in an upcoming 'ible.

Thank you so much for posting this! I have been looking all over for instructions for it. I saw a hat like the lion one in a store for $35 and I was sad because I couldn't afford it. I decided to make my own but didn't know how. Now I do! Thank you!!!!!